The Sari

by Linda Lynton

An illustrated survey of the sari, the unique south Asian textile tradition. Covering the entire Indian subcontinent and including remote and restricted tribal areas such as the north-east, it provides analysis of thousands of sari types from different cultures around India. The simplicity of the sari―an untailored length of cloth measuring between four and nine meters long by approximately one meter wide―is set against a wide variety of fabrics, colors, patterns and draping styles. There are diverse regional traditions of color, pattern and weave, analyzed here through a six-fold division of the Indian the West, the East, the North-East and the Himalayas, the Eastern Deccan, the South and the Western Deccan. Each section is accompanied by a display of photographed sari types. There is a detailed analysis of sari design, giving a guide to the symbols, patterns and motifs used, together with their origins and information about how they have evolved. Many rare and unusual saris are featured. There are translations given of Indian words and concepts. 470 illustrations and photographs, 206 in color

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[HadiDee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book which provides more information than you ever thought you'd want to know about saris! Includes very comprehensive descriptions of regional patterns, motifs and styles.
The only drawback is that the illustrations are all black and white; colour plates and illustrations would have been awesome

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting

[Hema · Rating 1 out of 5]

The information in this book is not entirely accurate in the way it was presented.

I hope to cull together data and specific talking points in the future. Essentially historical data is presented to support a misleading thesis.